That did fit Stuart’s personality, especially the hiding part. “That would satisfy his followers.”
And keep them on the buses. Yes, it was a very good plan.
“I’ll take security.”
“I hardly think—”
“You think people are basically decent.”
He said that like it was a bad thing. She folded her arms across her chest. “Most of them are.”
She’d never forget the lessons of Casa Grande or their stop at Burgers in a Basket.
“Maybe during the initial crisis, they’re too shocked to misbehave. But the crisis is over.”
“No, it isn’t.” Hello? They were leaving the cities, heading off to the wilds of Colorado to start again.
“The point is, there’s a vacuum in the authority department. Some people are going to give in to their baser instincts and others are going to let them.” He cupped her elbow and steered her out of the kitchen.
Let them? No, that couldn’t happen. Yet, normal looking women had flagged them down in Casa Grande. And the men with guns hadn’t worn a black hat or twirled handlebar mustaches. Neither had they looked like monsters. “Evil happens when good men do nothing.”
“Yeah, something like that. And once, you start sliding down that slope, it’s easy to keep going.”
Was that what happened to him? She’d bite her tongue off before asking. Besides, what did it really matter anymore? That world was over and he’d been nothing but honorable since. “Can you keep us on the straight and narrow?”
He shrugged and stalked past the table and chairs. “Straight and narrow doesn’t exist anymore, Princess. We’re talking about survival.”
Despite his words, she knew they were not mutually exclusive things. “I should tell Deputy Pecos about your new duties.”
“No need.” Eddie held open the door for her. “We decided after Casa Grande.”
They knew yesterday but were only just now telling her? She slapped open the outside door. “Thanks so much for telling me.”
“Don’t bend your tiara, Princess.” He caught up with her and turned her deeper into the camp. “He’ll be keeping an eye on things during the day, and I’ll take the night watch.”
She stopped at the next tent. No sign dangled from the canvas but biohazard tape curled on the ground. The wind whipped around the corner and she detected the odor of decaying bodies. Not this tent then. She faced Eddie. “Does Pecos know about you…”
She didn’t want to throw it in his face, but the lawmen of her acquaintance had black and white views that she doubted even the apocalypse could shake loose.
“He knows.” With the flashlight, Eddie gestured to a tent two rows down and on the other side. Bright red Biohazard tape sealed the edges of the door. “We found the supplies over there.”
An ache built behind her eyeballs. She pinched the bridge of her nose to keep it from spreading. He’d allowed her to wander all over camp when he’d known where the medicines and food were all along. “Why didn’t you just say so from the beginning?”
“You didn’t ask.”
She stomped through the puddles. “I shouldn’t have to ask. You had information, you should have shared it.”
“I just did.”
Ooh. She wanted to… to punch him. She shook her fists out. What was it about the man that brought her to the brink of violence? “If I had this information, I might have gotten more sleep.”
“Nah.” He pulled a knife from his pocket and flicked it open. Light winked from the blade as he cut the tape. “You would be up all night worrying about someone stealing it.”
Maybe, but she would have liked the option to worry about having too many supplies as opposed to not having enough.
“Princess? Eddie?” Deputy Pecos jogged up to them. “You better come quick. Stuie is waking his people. They’re lighting up the camp.”
Her heart stopped. On a night like this, the light would be a beacon for the bad guys.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Aunt Mavis?”
David blinked awake and reached for his rifle. Cold metal brushed his fingers; he wrapped his hands around the barrel. Underneath him the air mattress hissed. He sat up and aimed for the tent’s door. The wind bowed the fabric. “Who’s there?”
“Aunt Mavis?” The woman’s voice dissolved in a fit of coughs.
He twisted to the left, looking for the source. A black walkie-talkie tumbled onto the yellow floor.
“Are you sure we’re not already out of range?”
Mavis mumbled in her sleep and shimmied closer to him. Her arm tightened around his waist.
He tucked the sleeping bag around her shoulders, leaned across her and scooped up the walkie. “Hello?”
“You have to release the talk button if you want to hear their response.”
David grinned. Leave it to Medic Johnson to point out the obvious. Obvious was good this time of the morning especially with no coffee in sight.
“Oh. Okay, I—” Sunnie’s voice disappeared.
Pressing the talk button, he whispered into it. “Hello?”
“David?” Sunnie chirped. “Is Aunt Mavis with you?”
“Yeah.” Slipping his hand under the sleeping bag, he set it on her shoulder. “She’s sleeping at the moment.”
She had just gotten to bed a couple of hours ago, in fact. If the anthrax didn’t kill her, she would work herself to death. And everyone here would let her, because she had the plan. He had to protect her.
“Oh.”
He swallowed hard. Damn. Despite having her soft body curled against his, he was in a hard spot. Letting her sleep would prevent her from talking to her niece, but waking her might affect her health and everyone’s survival.
“I guess you should let her sleep.”
Fuck it. “No.” He squeezed Mavis’s shoulder, shaking her gently. “I’ll wake her. She’s been wanting to talk to you for days.”
“Are you sure?” Sunnie coughed again.
“Lay down,” Johnson ordered. “Or I’ll take away the walkie. You’ve got a long way to go before you’re recovered and if you relapse the Sergeant-Major will have my ass.”
And other more sensitive parts.
“Mavis.” David leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Wake up.”
Her lashes fluttered against her pale cheeks.
“Mavis.” He kissed her forehead. “Time to wake up.”
She flattened her palm against his nose and pushed. “Give me another hour of sleep then we can have sex.”
He chuckled. The woman had a one track mind. After checking to see that the talk button hadn’t been depressed, he tugged her hand off his face and slipped the walkie into it. “Sunnie wants to talk to you.”
Her eyes popped open. “Sunnie.”
“She’s awake.” He lifted her hand with the walkie in it so she could see. “They’re about to pull out and there’s no telling how long you have until they’ll be out of range.”
Mavis winked at him then sat up. “Ooh, better than sex.”
“Not the way I do it.” He smiled and crawled out of the sleeping bag. Leaning over, he grabbed his boots and stuffed his feet inside.
“You don’t have to leave.” She snuggled deeper into the sleeping bag and bit the walkie’s antennae.
“I’m on burial detail in fifteen minutes and need coffee.”
“Bring me some?”
“Nope.” He shrugged into his jacket. His fingers fumbled with the zipper.
“Why not?” She grabbed his waistband and held him in place. “If it’s about the sex remark, I apologize. You’re great. The best! I—”
Her arm wrapped around him when he twisted. After a moment, he slanted his mouth across hers to shut her up. As soon as she relaxed, he pulled away. “No coffee, until zero-six-hundred. I don’t want anyone to know you’re awake.”
Releasing him, she snuggled into the pillow. “You really are great, the best.”